The insides.

This is a nook in the master bedroom next to the dormer window, I have plans to make this a reading corner. We are also putting another closet in the master, there is already a walk in but I believe most marriages have a better chance with separate closets so we are adding another. Mainly because I am very particular. Bedrooms look a little boring empty in photos but there are 4 in this house, a studio, an office, a master, and a guest room.



This is the upstairs bath, which needs a good sanding. The walls are partly textured and partly smooth. The 70's really did a number on homes. The idea is to smooth everything out and then paint the walls. Eventually we want to tear out the bathtub and replace it all with a double headed walk in shower.



This is the guest room, I had to show this lovely wood paneling. I love it, sense the sarcasm. However after being primed we noticed this room is much larger than it seemed.



This is after the primer, it looks better already. The carpet is all gone upstairs and new flooring will be put down next week. The downstairs was all hardwood, upstairs had carpet but will soon match the rest.
More to come soon with some improvements.

the plan.

Let's start with one of the most necessary rooms. The downstairs bathroom. For the time being this bathroom is going to get a clean fresh coat of paint, and a good deep cleaning. That shower curtain, not mine so it too will be going. Eventually we would like to put in a claw foot tub and get rid of the existing shower, put down new floor tile and a new vanity mirror as well. I love the sink in this bathroom though, the original pedestal sink.



Here is the living room, not the best shot, more to come later. There is a working fireplace, and in addition a door to the laundry room and the main door. Arranging furniture in there will be interesting, but cozy. This room has already been painted, and those photos will come soon, it is a pale grey that is fresh but calm. It is the Home Depot Martha Stewart lamb. I happen to love the colors of her paint.



This is the kitchen. There is not much that needs to be done in there for now. In the future I would love to put tiles or something interesting on the backwash under the cabinets. As well as upgrade the appliances to stainless steel. I will also change some of the knobs on the doors and drawers. For a small kitchen it has a fair amount of cabinet space, which is always nice.



Here is the staircase going to the second floor. The carpeting is on its way out, currently it is the last piece of carpeting in the house. There is hardwood underneath, so it will be sanded and varnished to look like new again. This is the last flooring to be taken care of right after the official move, to allow for the movers, so that no new scratches or nicks appear.

New beginnings..

Yes it's late March here in Richmond, which means that all of the trees are blooming and the birds are chirping... So my grey winter scape in my header doesn't make that much sense.... As I mentioned before the colors from a walk in the lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, on a rainy day, were the inspiration for the color pallet of the paint in my NEW HOUSE!
The stack of papers are signed, the title was handed over and the house is ours! So here it is...



I have always wanted an older house, specifically a cottage, and I have one with my name one it! I HATE that red door, but it will get painted along with a list of other things that need updating, repairing, fixing, making more aesthetically pleasing, customizing... etc... etc... If you have ever purchased an older house you know how it goes. (I want the door black to match the shutters and the numbers for the house to be painted white, to stand out against the black.)



There is a nice plot of land to work on as well. Half an acre to be exact, so I will have to pick up some gardening tips and think about some vegetables that I would like to plant. There is already a compost on the land, which I was happy to learn, because I think it is an easy way to be more environmentally conscious.
I have plans to keep the house true to time period, with some updates. I want it light and aerie with some punches of color from collections I have and fabrics. As much as I love color, at home I like to keep it softer and neutral, I find that my belongings add enough color and interest on their own.
This is my biggest project right now and I have fallen in love with the details of choosing everything for a home. There is a very personal quality to this process, and it makes me think about what a home says about us as individuals. Being that I love many different styles and eras, but prefer certain things for my day to day... What does that mean? What does it say about me? These are some of the things that I am thinking about during this process. I am also trying to let myself just like something because I simply do. Not over thinking it, as is so easy for an artist.
I will be showing photos and talking about the process as it goes, as well as keeping a sketchbook of everything. Perhaps I will find answers to some of my questions, and maybe I will just enjoy the process because I simply love making a home my own. A place where my partner and I love to spend our day to day, where we always have a place for a friend to stop by for wine, and where family can enjoy the holidays with us. After all maybe those are the reasons why we take care into what comes into a home. It is the tangible object, full of tangible things, that represent the love and relationships we have in our lives.

The next step...

In the last post of my studio, there was a pile of t-shirts waiting to be sewn together into this quilt... I finished it last week and presented it to Tom for his birthday. Tom has been a part of my life for the past couple years, and while there will never be a replacement for my father, he comes pretty close and is an amazing person. The quilt was made up of t-shirts that he collected from Harley rides and boat trips. Unfortunately I neglected to take a photo of the finished thing.... The fatigue overcame me, and it ended up in a box with a bow before a final photo was taken. Next time I visit them, I will surely take a photo of it in Tom's "man room".
Working with the Jersey cotton is a different experience, the cotton, folds onto itself, stretches and just refuses to stay put. However it is very soft and forgiving when it comes to the final project. It was a nice project that helped get my mind off everything else and I just sewed away for a couple of days.



February is a month full of anniversaries, and memories for me. Some of them good and others I wish I could forget. However as time moves ahead the bad start to have a hazy glass over them and the good shine through. This year in honor of our one year anniversary and meeting my other half and I took a day at Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens. It was hazy and foggy that day and as you can see in the photos empty everywhere we turned. In the green house the blooms were alive and outside the gardens shapes, and water was enough inspiration on its own.
It was a lovely quiet day and it almost seemed as if we were alone in the gardens. After having lunch and walking around for a while, I decided that the greys that fill a foggy day are perfect for painting a house..... and so...
I started collecting some paint chips because.....
In a few days we close on a house of our own!!!! This is such an exciting thing, I have always taken joy in creating a space that is great to live in and pleasing to the eye. This time, its not just some place it has our names on the title, so I promise to take lots of photos and track the process of choosing everything from paint, and trim to plants and china. Can't wait for the adventure.

science, and art

"If artist's were in charge of making the world, it would be the most aesthetically pleasing, thoughtful, conceptual place. Without toilets or plumbing because they would forget them... If a scientist were asked to make the world it would be full of all the necessary things but not have one thing just serving the simple purpose of being attractive..." In this world we need the marriage of both... In my world the marriage of both is what makes it work.

thought.

"Ask what is possible? NOT What is wrong? ... Keep asking."

sketch books

Check this site out, there is a sketchbook project that has a couple thousand books traveling around the country... I find that sketchbooks are an awesome way of getting ideas out without, the fear of the outside world. They are un-inhibited little makings. Can't wait to see this exhibit!!!

www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

If you are looking for another interesting exhibit there is a yearly one at the museum for women in the arts in Washington D.C. every year that features handmade books, and book art. I have gone a couple of times and it is worth it every time. I leave with inspiration.

...will take photos of some of my own pages and post them soon....
Happy February.